Feed-water heater for locomotive-boilers.



PATENTED NOV. 13

W. A. MOPPAT. FEED WATER HEATER FOR LOOOMOTIVE BOILERS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 16, 1905.

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PATENTED NOV 13, 1906.

W. A. MOEEAT. FEED WATER HEATER FOR LOGOMOTIVE BOILERS.

APPLIGATION FILED JUNE 16, 1905.

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TERS c UNITED STATES PATENT I OFFICE.

WALTER ANDREW MOFFAT, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

FEED-WATER HEATER FOR LOCOMOTIVE-BOILERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 13, 1906.

Application filed June 16,1905. Serial No. 265.575.

To a, whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER ANDREW MOFFAT, a citizen of the Unlted States, re-

siding at Denver, in the county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented new and useful Improvements in Feedater Heaters for Locomotive-Boilers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to feed-water heaters and feeders for boilers, being especially adapted for use in connection with locomotive-boilers, and has for its objects to produce a comparatively simple inexpensive device of this character in which the water will be fed from the supply-tank into supplemental heating tanks or compartments and thence to a drum or receptacle above the boiler, into which latter it is conducted from said receptacle, one wherein the water will be fed under steam-pressure, and one in'which the water will be heated progressively during its passage from the supply-tank to the boiler.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character in which the surplus steam in the boiler will be utilized for the purpose of supplying heat and feed-pressure to the feed-water, and one wherein the exhaust-steam from the cylinders will be employed for preserving the temperature of the water in the receptacle and thereafter for causing an induced draft, as usual, through the smoke-chamber.

A further object of the invention is to provide device of the character described in which the water contained in the boiler-supply receptacle will be caused to circulate through suitable heating-ducts and one wherein the waste heat of the combustion-chamber will be utilized for heating the water during its circulation in said ducts.

With these and other objects in view the invention comprises the novel features of construction and combination of parts more fully hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a locomotive equipped with a feed-water apparatus embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same, the cab being shown in section. Fig. 3 is a rear end elevation of the boiler. Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a locomotive-boiler provided with a combustion-chamber 2, including an ash-pit 3, and

adapted for communication through the medium of tubes or flues 4 with a front smokechamber 5, which in turn communicates with the stack 6, the locomotive being provided with a tender 7, a steam-dome 8, and cylinders 9, containing pistons connected with and for operating the drive-Wheels, these parts, except as hereinafter explained, being all of the usual or any appropriate construction and material.

The tender 7 is equipped with a feed-watersupply tank 10, having at its forward end supplemental heating compartments or tanks 11, designed to communicate with the main tank 10 through the medium of inlet pipes 12, containing shiftable check-valves adapted to close under the influence of back pressure from the tanks 11, there being connected with the steam-dome 8 a steam pipe or duct 13 leading to and entering the bottom of the tank 10 and adapted to discharge above the water-level in the latter, said pipe serving to partially heat the feed-water and supply pressure for forcing the latter from the tank 1.0 into the heating-tanks 11, to which steam is admitted for heating and supplying pressure to the'water therein through the medium of a pipe 14, communicating with the boiler 1, there being provided in the pipes 13 and 14 suitable cut-off valves 15 and 16. The pipe 14 has suitable branches leading separately to the tanks 11, as seen in Fig. 2, and each of these branches is equipped with a cutoff valve 17, whereby 'the steam may be supplied to either or both of the tanks, as will be readily understood.

Surrounding the upper portion of the boiler 1 is a acket 18, spaced from the boiler to provide a tank or receptacle 19, while extending through the combustion-chamber 2 and preferably Within the ash-pit is a series of substantially U-shaped circulating pipes or tubes 20, connected at their endsto the receptacle 19 at opposite vsides thereof, there being in the tubes 20, adjacent their. points of connection with the jacket, cut-off valves 21, there being also connected with the jacket and respectively at opposite sides of the boiler a pair of feed-pipes 22, adapted to supply water from the receptacle to the boiler and entering the latter at a point adjacent the upper end of the combustion-chamber, the pipes being extended downward and having their discharge ends disposed adjacent the bottom of the boiler. These pipes are spectively. .are equipped with pressure-gages 1 11 to the receptacle 19, from which it passes into and circulates through pipes to be properly heated prior to being fed into the boiler 1.

Communicating with and leading from the steam-chestof cylinders 9 is a pair of steameXhaust pipes or ducts 26, which extend through the boiler and into the receptacle 19, these pipes, which are disposed, respectively, on opposite sides of the boiler, being each returned upon itself and adapted to discharge in the smoke-chamber 5 at a point adjacent the lower end of stack 6, whereby the eX- haust-steam will be utilized for heating the feed-water in receptacle 19 and also for causing an induced draft, as usual, within the smoke-chamber.

The tank 10, which has a manhole 27 normally closed by a screw-plug 28, is provided with a safety-valve 29 and is equipped also with a pipe-nozzle 30, having a valve 31, said nozzle being adapted for drawing off water from the tank to permit cleaning of the latter and also for the attachment of a hose for use in extinguishing a fire or cleaning the engine, while the tanks 11 and receptacle 19 are also provided with safetywalves 32 and 33, re-

The boiler 1 and receptacle 19 34 35 of usual construction and operation.

In practice the tanks 10 and 11 are initially filled with water, as is also the receptacle 19, the communication between which and the tanks 11 under the influence of back pressure is cut off by the valve 25, while the valves 23 remain normally closed for cutting off communication between the receptacle 19 and boiler through the medium of pipes 22. The water contained in the receptacle 19 circulates through the pipes 20, which pass through the ash-pit, and, owing to its circulation through the latter, becomes heated, the heating of the water being further augmented by the exhaust-steam from the cylinders circulating through pipes 26, whereby the temperature of the water in the receptacle is raised to a degree as high or higher than that contained in the boiler to which the water from the receptacle is supplied for replenishing the boiler by opening the valves 23. When the supply of water in the receptacle 19 has become depleted in the operation of supplying the boiler, which of course is effected from time to time as required, the receptacle is replenished from the tanks 11 by opening the valves 16 and 17, thus admitting steam from the boiler to the tanks for forcing the water from the latter to the receptacle, it being understood that backfiow of water from the tanks 11 to the tank 10 under this steam-pressure will be prevented by means of the check-valves disposed in the pipes 12, and, further, that if the pressure within the receptacle 19 is too great to permit proper flow of water from the tanks 11 such pressure may be relieved by opening the exhaust-valve 33 to lower the pressure in the receptacle. When water is taken from the tanks 11 for supplying the receptacle 19, the tanks become replenished from the main supply-tank 10, the water from which will of course flow by gravity and in seeking its own level into the tanks 11 through the pipes 12, it being understood, however, that if the water in the tank 10 falls below the desired level of the Water within the tanks 11 steam may by opening the valve 15 be taken from the dome 8 through the pipe 13 to the tank 10 for forcing the water therein under pressure to the tanks 11, which, it will be understood, have no connection whatever with the boiler eX- cept through the medium of the receptacle 19, which is normally cut out of communica tion with the boiler by means of the valves 23. Thus it is apparent that the water in tank 10 serves to replenish the tanks 11 as required, and that the Water from the tanks 11 is employed in replenishing the receptacle 19,in which the water becomes properly heated prior to being fed into the boiler.

From the foregoing it is apparent that I produce a simple device admirably adapted for the attainment of the ends in view and one wherein the surplus or waste of steam is fully utilized for heating and feeding the Water, it being understood that in attaining these ends minor changes in the details herein set forth may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. In a device of the class described, a boiler provided with a combustion-chamber, a feed-water receptacle, a supply-tank, an auxiliary heating-tank communicating there with, a duct leading from the auxiliary tank to the receptacle, a pipe connected with the latter and leading through the combustionchamber for heating the water, and a pipe leading from the receptacle to the boiler.

2. In a device of the class described, a boiler having a combustion-chamber, a feedwater receptacle, a tank communicating with said receptacle, means for supplying steam to the tank, a pipe connected with the receptacle and leading through the combustion-chamber, and means between the receptacle and boiler for supplying water to the latter.

3. In a device of the class described, a boiler having a combustion-chamber and an exhaust, a receptacle, means for supplying Water thereto, a duct connected with the exhaust and leading into the receptacle, a duct connected with the latter and leading through the combustion-chamber, and connections between the receptacle and boiler for supplying water to the latter.

4. In a device of the character described, a boiler having a combustion-chamber and an exhaust, a water-jacket for said boiler, a duct connected with the exhaust and leading into said water-jacket, a duct connected with the latter and leading into the boiler, a

supply-tank having connection with said water-jacket, and a steam-pipe connecting said boiler and the steam-space of the supplytank, the same having a valve therein controlled by the steam-pressure of the boiler, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In tesimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

WALTER ANDREW MOFFAT. Witnesses:

DAVID B. GRAHAM, JOHN W. GRAHAM, Jr. 

